Screw-cutting lathe



No Model.) 4 SheetS- Sheet 1.

'- E. FLATHER.

SCREW OUTTING'LATHE. No. 536,615. Patented Apr, 2; 1895.

WIT/1158858: INVEN TO/f QWWM BY (No Model.) I v 4 Sheets-Shet 3. E.FLATHER.

SCREW GUTTING LATHE.

' Patented Apr.- 2, 1895.

. wmsw, INVENTOH J M MM l f/LS ATTORNEY.

( Y 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

' E. FLATHE'R.

' SCREW CUTTING LATHE. No. 536,615. Patented Apr. 2, 1895;

' WIINESSES. INVENTOH 93 I ,(md

UNITED STATES- x PnTnNT OFFICE.

EDWARD FLA'lHER, or BRIDGEPORT,CONNECTICUT.

'SCRE -W-CU TT ING LATHE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 536,615, dated April 2,189-5.

,- Application filed August 27, 1894. Serial No. 621,389- (No model.)

To all whom it maycohcerfi:

Be it known that LEDWARD FLATHER, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Bridgeport, in the county of Fai-rfield and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inScrew-Cutting Lathes, of which the following is a-specification. 7

My invention relates to engine lathes and particularly to an improvementin the screw cutting and feed mechanism therefor.

The details of construction of this my said invention will be fullysetforth and described in'the following specification, andsuchcharacteristic features as I believe to be newland novelparticularly pointed out in the claims to follow. p

I To enable others to understand my invention reference is had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure'l, represents a frontend view ofthe bed and broken head stock of an engine lathe with my improvedgearplate attached thereto and Fig. 2, is a broken side elevation of the bedand head stock also side elevation of the adjustable gear platei'nclosed position'with twoof its gears registering with driving gearsmounted on the head stock of the lathe. Fig. 3, is a view similar toFig.2, but showing'the gear plate in open position, i. (2., out ofengage ment with the two gears of thelathe; Figs.4,5

and 6, diagrams of the gears of the head stock engaged with certaingears of thegear plate looking in the direction of arrow 0. Fig. 2. Fig

7,'is an endview of the bed and broken View of the head stockof a latheshowing ainodified construction'forbringing the gear. plate into closedposition by means 'of'an angle T lever pivoted to a sthd oh the bed.'Fig. 8, is

a'broken side elevation of the bed and head stock lookingin thedirection of arrowimot' Fig. 7. Fig. 9, is an end elevation of the bed Iand broken view of the head stock showing still another modification ofthe means for '45 'bringing the gear plate, withthe gears, into and outof mesh with the gears of the lathe,

which consists of an eccentric sleeve mounted on a stud and supportingthe said gear plate. Fig. 10, is a broken sideelevation of thebed andhead stock as shown in Fig. 9, looking in the direction of arrow y,- r 7Its constructionand operation are as-follows: v I

A 1 represents thelathe bed; '2, the head stock mounted thereon.

3 is the gear plate mounted ona reduced portion of the stud4, (see Fig.3) projecting from the end of the bed 1. The said plate, when in theosition as shown in Fig. 3, can be freely rotatedso as to bring any ofits gears to register with the gears of the head stock and itsinwardlongitudinal movement is limthe shouldered portion d..of stud-4. Theoutward travel ofsaid plate is limited by the projecting stop e. of theswinging latch 5, which latch is pivotally mountedon the pin 6 of thestud 4. The slut? (see alsoFig 1) is provided in' the end-.ofstud 4to-accornmodate the latch 5. When,-there'fore',-the plate is cam medagainst the outer faoe'of said plate,

therein -t'or this purpose, thus maintaining it point f. of said latch;-will bring the bodyot said latch'belowthesurface of stud 4 so that thegear plate'will slide over it, and; engaging with the stop-e.before'mention'ed, will arrest turther travel and prevent plate'3droppingoff .itsstudl Projecting from the. gear plate 3.(see. also thesameare the studs 8; each of which carrries also Figs. 2 -and 3) thegears'9'an'd-3"-which are .13, 14, 15, 16; 17, 18,19 and'20"'are\'placedon other gears mounted on .said studsgare equal in diameter to the gears9.,9 .before (mentioned, although ditferent sizes may be used.'ThBPQSIBlQHS-Of the several studs'vary. from the center of'plate'fij'proportionate to the studs carryingthetsniall. gears 9. '9'andl'arge twogears of different diameters except (see a of equal diameter. jIhe other gearslO', '11, 12,

their respective-studs next-to the plate while the-sm aller gears'-21,which are fastened to the gear 20'representqthe extremes of this varia-"The initial driving gea'rflh 0t thetrain is I mounted upon the outerend' .ot the stud 23 ited by the boss 3' of plate 3, engaging with- 3 isin the position shown in Fig. 2, the. head"; of lamb 5. is depressed andthe point f thereof a circular'groove',1-not shown,'being formed firmlyin its closed position.) Depressing the Fig. 1) andarranged.circu'mferentially about di'ffeienttdia'metersof thegears,-so-'that,the

ter registering with the intermediate gear 33 on the stud 29 of theswing plate, which, in turn, registers with' gear 34 mounted on theprojecting end of the feed shaft The said gears 31 and 32 are secured tothe sleeve 36, so that they rotate together.

The gears 22 and 31 are so placed, with respect to each other and theseveralgears carried by the plate 3, that when such plate is movedforward, as shown in Fig. 2, two gears of the series thereon willregister with said gears, the outer, and smaller gear 21, engaging thegear 22 while the larger gear ll'meshes with gear 31. This feature willbe more clearly illustrated by the diagrams shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6.Fig. 4 represents the engagement of the two small gears 9. 9 of the gearplate '3 with gears 22 and 31, wherein, as before mentioned, such gears9. J are of equal diameters, and therefore, theirposition is midwaybetween such gears. In Fig. 5 the gears 13 and 21 are brought intoengagement and the diflference in diameter of such-gears'will cause thesmaller one 21 to be placedin almost a vertical position with gear 22,so as to enable gear 13 to register with gear 31. InFig. 6 is shown thelargest gear or. plate B'engagcd with gear 31 while the small gear 21registers with gear 22. Thus, as before mentioned, the positions of theseveral studs 8, on the plate 3, are so placed with respect to thecenter of such plate, and the diameter of the several gears on suchstuds, that each set of gears thereon will register with gears 22 and31; the outer one,

registering with the former, and the inner gear with the latter, asabove described. It will be observed that there are twelve studs onplate 3 each carrying two gears, thus making twelve changes or twelvedifferent pitches that may be cut on the lathe, which comprise.

the number in general use. If more are required, the gear plate may beincreased in size to accommodate more studs and gears, therebyincreasing the number of pitches indefinitely. A series the gear plate3, and such holes are preferably arranged on the same radial line withthe several studs 8. M V n 38 is-a-stop and 'locatingp'ih' pi'bjectin gfrom the bed (see also Fig. 3) which registers with the holes 37 of thegear plate, as required. When, therefore, it is desired to cut a certainpitch, the gear plate is rotated uponthe supporting studilntil theproper gears thereon. are brought into position to register with thegears 22 and 31, as before mentioned, when the plate 3 is moved forwardand the pin 38 interlocked with one of the holes 3'7, repreof holes 37,Fig. 1,'aro provided in' sentingsuch position. This pin not only 10-cates the exact position of the gears on the plate with respect to theirproper registering with the gears 22 and 31, but it also prevents therotation of such plate while it is in operative position. It will beobserved that the pin 38 is made suificiently long so as to enter one ofthe holes 37 of the gear plate in advance of the registering of thegears, thus operating as a guide for the proper engagement of suchgears. To insure a ready engagement of said pin with its hole, the pointmay be slightly tapered, or the mouth of the hole may be slightlybeveled forthis purpose.

In cutting screws, the sleeve gear 39 on the end ofthe feed screw 40 ismoved forward into mesh with the gear 41 on the feed shaft 35, .whilethe clutch 43, on the latter shaft, will be disengaged, as shown.Reversing this operation will drive the feed shaft.

I do not wish to be confined to the exact location of the so calleddriving gear 22, as, in some cases, it may be desirable to allow thespindle 37 to projectthrough the head stock and place such gear thereon.Itother changes are required, beyond the limit represented by the twelvealready carried by the gear plate, the swing plate 28 maybe shifted soas to substitute other gears in place of the one 34, on the end of thefeed rod.

It will be observed that, the manner of operating the gear plate so asto bring its gears thereon in mesh with the driving gear and idle gearof the lathe, before mentioned, such plate has a longitudinal movementon its stud. As amodification of this feature and one which in somecases may be advantageously used, would be to attach thestud, upon whichthe-plate is supported, to a swing plate pivotally supported to the bedor other convenient place and thus raise and lower the said gear platein andout of mesh, in which case, said plate will retain its presentrotary movebe replaced by a vertical one.; This construction is shown inFigs. 7. and 8, wherein the carries, similar to that shown in thepreceding views; but, for an illustration of the elevating device onlytwo gears, 11 .and 12, are shown. The said plate is rotatabl y mountedupon the stud44, which stud, is also rigidly secured to the middleportion of the handle lever '45 whose lower end ispivotally supported onthe stud 46 projecting from the Iath bed. The plate 3 has the hubportion "3to increase its bearing surface on its stud and is lockedagainst rotation thereon by' the nut 47. Theupper endpf the handle lever'45 is provided with the slot-48 whicher'nbraces a'r'educed threaded endof the stud 49 pro- -ing-handle nut 50 is mdunted onthe threaded end ofstud 4.9 so as tolock the gear-plate while in closed position.

The operationof the device is as follows;

When necessary tochange the gears the ban;

gear plate 3 is, with respect to the gears it too ment while thelongitudinal movement will jecting from. the head stock 2. The tightensdlenut 50 is loosened, whereupon the gear plate will drop a distancerepresented by the length of the slot 48 which is sufficient to carryany of the gears thereon out of meshwith the driving and idle gears ofthe lathe. Then the nut 4.7 is loosened so that said plate may berotated on the supporting stud a distance required to bring any of itsgears in position to register with the lathe gears, before mentioned,when thenut 47s-is tightened and the plate carried forward to theposition shownat Fig. 7, and the handle nut 50 tightened to re- .tain itthere.

' As a further modification relating. to the gear plate I might findit'convenient to employ an eccentric sleeve on the supporting stud ofthe gear plate, and'journaltheplate on this sleeve, which arrangement,will enable the eccentric to be used as a means for establishing thedilferent vertical positions of the' plates with respect to the lathegears. This construction is fully shown at Figs. .9 and 10.

- The gear plate 3 like the one shown at Fig.

7, carries, forillustration, the two gears ll and 12 only. Theplate-supporting-stud 51-projecting from the bed 1, carries on itsreduced portion 'the eccentric sleeve '52. The gear plate 3 .-isprovided with theenlar'ged hubs 3 "having a hole therethronghtofit thesleeve .52on which it-isarran'ged to rotate when said plate is dropped.-53 is a'collar placed betweent heiinner'end ef the gear-plate hub andthe/shoulder m of the stud 51. The eccentric sleeve'fifl'has'the. handle5.4 by means of which it 'is-rot'ated on its studf' The handle nut 55-is-monntedupof'n the'threaded end of the stud 5'1." Toope-rate thisdevice the handle nut'55 is loosened and the eccentric sleeve turned bymeansfof its handle oat-until the gears onp1ate13 are disengagedjfromthe lathe gears, before inentionedywhereupon, said plate is rotateduntil the proper gear thereonis brought into position, when theeccentric sleeve is rotated tobring said gears in mesh with-those ofthelathe,'and the handle .nut -55 tightened to hold said plate-rigid. Itherefore do not wish to be confined to the exact :the necessary changesof gears to cut the dif-' with .the driving gearand idle toconstruction-as shown for this purpose, but

hold myselfv at liberty to use this feature as well as the othermodification before mentioned.

From theforegoiug;theadvantages of my improvement can readily beseen-and apprew ciated. It is. both cheaply construct'ed'and easilyoperated. The gear'platecontains fall ferent. pitches in general use.fore, the two gears on the plate When,there are engaged gear of thelathe, allthe other gearson' the plate remain stationary. Thisfeature,as well'as another important 'one not shown in other screwcutting devices, so far as known, viz:- .when the gear. plate isdisengaged from ,the lathe gears asshown in Fig. 8 all the gears, screwcutting and feeding, on the lathe as well as on the plate, except thedriving gear 22, are in a state 'of absolute rest, so that the lathe maybe used independent, as is frequently required, and

thus avoidthe wear incidental to continuous running of said gears.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and.desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. An improvement in lathes, of thecharacter described, comprising in combination, with the head stock andbed, a'gear plate, a support therefor upon which said plate is arrangedwhen not in operative or. closed position, to have botha rotatable andlongitudinal movement thereon, said plate carrying a'series of gearsrepresenting the several pitches ter of said plate, each supportcarryinga pair of gears of the said series, one of which is arranged to registerwith the driving gear of the lathe and the other to register with anidle gear adjacent to said gear, a support upon which said gear-platemay have both a rotatable and longitudinal movement, and means wherebysaid plate is securely locked against rotation and longitudinalmovement, when in closed position as set forth.

3; The herein described improvement in lathes, comprising incombination, a gear plate carrying independent sets of gears, ar rangedas shown, a support for said plate,

upon which it may be rotated to bring each set of gears or changeofgears thereon in position' to engage with the driving gear and an idlegear of the lathe train, said plate havingalso a longitudinal movementon its support whereby it is brought into 0perativeengagement with thesaid gear train, means substantially as shown for guiding it intooperative position and locking it against rotation, and means forlooking it against longitudinal movement while in such position, asdescribed and for the purpose set forth.

4. The herein described improvement in lathes, comprising incombination, a gear plate carrying independent sets or changes of gearsarranged circumferentially about said plate, and occupying difierentradial positions from the center thereof, supports for said sets ofgears and a support for said plate upon which it may have both arotatable and a longitudinalmovement, when not in operative position, adriVing gear on the lathe,

Ifi-o a pair of idle, gears locked together and.

mounted on the same bearing-stud, said gear plate arranged to be rotatedupon its support to bring any one of the independent sets or changes inl'ine'with the proper gear mechanism of the lathe, and having alongitudinal movement thereon whereby one gear of the set on said platewill register :with the said 4 A eams 'driviug gear and the other withone of the rotary movement, when in operative position,

substantially as described and for the purpose set forth. a r v v 5. Thehereindescribed improvement in 'lathes, comprising in combination, agear plat'ecarrying independent sets of gears,'a support therefor,supports for said gears, said gears fastened so as to rotate together ontheir respective supports, a fixed stud on the lathe carrying the sleeve36, with the two gears, 31 and 32, fixed thereto, said gear platearranged to be rotated on its support and also adjusted in the plane ofits rotation so as to bring any one of the several sets of gears thereonin position, one, in said set, registering with the lathe-driving gear,and the other with gear 31 of said sleeve,'while gear 32 of said sleeveregisters with the intermediate gear of the feedmechanism, as describedand set forth.

, 6. The herein described improvement in lathes, comprising incombination, a gear supportingstud projecting from the end of thelatheupon which said gear plate is rotatplate carrying independent sets ofgears, a

ably mounted, supporting studs projectingfrom the inner'fa'ce of saidplate, upon which i studs the said independent sets of gears arerotatably mounted, said gears placed bet'ween said plate and the end ofthe lathe so that said plate will operateas a shield to protect againstaccidents, combined with the gears of the lathe-with which thegears onsaid plate are brought into engagement, for the purpose set forth.

Signed at Bridgeport, in the county ofiiFairfield and State ofConnecticut, this 25th day of August, A. D. 1894. r

EDWARD FLATHER. Witnesses:

L. D. SANFORD LEWIS F. PELTON.

